I was on combivir and sustiva for 3 years and from taking it I lost around 3 stone but it stabilised, but i lost a lot of muscle definition - i recently changed t atripla 8 weeks ago and since changing have put on around 7-8lbs, my diet hasnt changed however previously my last combination gave me a lot of IBS symptoms and stomach cramps, these have eased a lot so am not sure if its simply this that has made me gain weight or because my muscle definition seem to be growing again - i did have initial muscle pain like i had been working out but thats eased also.

Any advice is appreciated, I just dont want to end up like a bloater :)

Response from Dr. Henry

Pxs often gain modest weight when switching from Sustiva + Combivir to Atripla though your case is more extreme in degree and rapidity. Weight gain due to fat (part of lipodystrophy syndrome) is usually modest. No easy answers for that outside of life style modifications (diet and exercise). KH

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